Transplant
by Netz
Summary: Esa is an eleven year old orphan from New York. A mysterious woman comes to tell her about a school of magic. When she arrives, her whole world will be turned upside-down.
1. The Orphanage

**I don't own anything from Harry Potter.**

"Esa, wake up"

I grumbled "Is the house on fire or something?"

"No."

"Then let me go back to sleep."

"I can't do that"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because there's someone here to see you."

I cracked open one eye. "What?" I asked. In all of the time I had spent here, no one had ever come to visit me. I didn't have family. There was no one to come.

"You heard me. There's someone here, and they're asking for you."

"This is all a sick joke, isn't it?" I asked.

"Nope. Not even she is that cruel."

The "she" in question is the woman who takes care of us all. You see, I'm an orphan. No one ever told me what happened to my parents, but I know they're never coming to get me. "Do you have any idea of who it might be?" I asked.

"No clue, but she has a funky accent, I can't quite place where it's from though."

"An accent? So she's not from around here?"

"She's not from New York, if that's what you're asking."

I sighed. "Thanks for the heads up May,' I said.

May had been my best friend at the house from the day she arrived. She's only been here for a few years, and I quickly became a big sister to her. That being said, I'm only 11 years old myself.

I got out of bed and walked over to the small dresser I was given for my clothes. I've been here for so long that I got my own. Most of the other girls have to share with at least one other person. I pulled a shirt out of the top drawer. It was my best one, and it was even mostly clean. We didn't get new clothes as often as we should have. Many of the girls didn't even have clothes that really fit. I got dressed quickly and left the room as quietly as I could. It was still early, and I didn't want to wake anyone else up. I wandered towards the stairwell that led to the mother's rooms. This is where visitors are usually brought. I crept up the stairs until I reached a door that had a small window. Peering through the window, I saw an old woman, with an emerald cloak and square glasses. Something about her seemed different, but I couldn't figure out what, or why I felt that way. I heard the woman talking to the mother, I couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but it was clear that the conversation was about me. I heard my name pass both of their lips a few times. After a few minutes, the old woman stood up. She looked frustrated, and I could tell she was getting ready to leave. Panicked, I left the doorway and ran.

I had just returned to the other girls when the door burst open. "Where is she?" A woman's voice boomed through the room.

"Who, Ms. Umhalt?" One girl asked.

"You know who I'm talking about Gloria," Ms. Umhalt said. This was the mother. She kept us here to collect on the money the state gave her. She rarely ever used any of it on us, though. We were pretty much on our own, except for when someone paid us a visit.

"I actually don't know that I do, Ms. Umhalt. You see, there are a lot of girls here. As far as we know, you could be talking to any one of us," Gloria said.

"Shut up Gloria," I muttered under my breath, hoping she would get the hint.

"I'm talking about the little bitch over there." She pointed towards me.

"Me?" I asked.

"Yes, you. Now get your ass over here, someone is here to see you."

I felt someone shove me forward. Great, I was the offering. She was going to take me, everyone else would be safe, but I was being taken to the lions den. I was done for. Solemnly, I followed Ms. Umhalt out of the room, which had gotten unnaturally silent when I moved forward. They knew what was coming as well as I did. We had all been here for a long time. I heard May sniffle. I cast a look back at her, but Ms. Umhalt grabbed my arm and yanked me away before I could find her in the crowd. She dragged me to the room at the top of the stairs, the one I had just run from. She opened the door, and shoved me through.

"Here's the little brat," the nasty woman said.

"Thank you," The woman in the emerald cloak said. "Now, if you could leave us alone for a moment, that would be wonderful."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Ms. Umhalt tried to stand her ground, but she was no match for the other woman.

"I assure you, Esa will be fine. I need a moment alone with her to talk. With luck, we can leave this rat-hole and never come back."

Did she want to adopt me? I was so confused. Why would she need to speak to me alone? Every conversation that took place between a girl and a prospective adopter took place under the strict observation of Ms. Umhalt.

Ms. Umhalt huffed and turned towards the door. "She had better be fine when I come back," she said.

I had never seen her give up so easily. I looked towards the mysterious woman with a look of awe on my face. She was smiling.

"Come child, we have much to discuss," she said, patting the chair next to hers. Cautiously, I sat down.

"What is this about? Am I in trouble?" I asked.

"No, of course not. Quite the opposite, really."

Now I was really confused.

"My name is Professor McGonagall. I am the headmistress at a school for people like you."

"People like me?" What did that mean? "So there is something wrong with me. You think I'm troubled, don't you?"

"No, absolutely not. It's a school of magic."

I could see what May had been talking about. This Professor lady had a weird accent, something that wasn't from around here. She was also bat-shit crazy.

"Magic?" I asked. "I don't get it. What kind of a prank are you trying to pull? It's not funny."

"I assure you, this is no joke. You are a witch, Esa, and there is a place for you at Hogwarts."

**This is my second fan fiction story, please leave me a review of what you think. I love to hear from people about my writing, or suggestions on what I should do. 3**


	2. Off to London

**Hey all, I wanted to thank you for reading. It means a lot to me. Please leave me a review. I love to hear from people. 3**

"Hogwarts?" I asked. "What kind of a name is that?"

"I can assure you, Hogwarts is a wonderful school," The professor said.

"And what do they teach, at this 'Hogwarts'?" I asked.

"Well, we teach transfiguration, potions, defense against the dark arts, charms, those kinds of things."

"Who is paying you?"

"I can see you're going to need a demonstration," the woman said with a sigh. She pulled a long, ornate looking stick out of her cloak. She waved it, and said something that was in another language. A book that had been sitting on a the desk in the middle of the room lifted until it was suspended in mid-air, completely unsupported. I looked from the book to the woman, and back to the book.

"How are you doing that?"

"That, my dear, is magic."

"I think you have the wrong girl, I can't do anything like that," I said.

"Oh, but I think you can. Have you ever made anything happen? Anything strange, that couldn't be explained?"

I thought about all the strange things that had happened here in the last few years, buckets exploding, Ms. Umhalt's hair disappearing, clothes changing color, and looked up. "Maybe," was al I said.

"Come to Hogwarts, we will help you refine your talents, embrace your skills," the woman said.

"I don't have any money."

"That's not a problem, I assure you." The professor sounded so sure. Anywhere had to be better than here, that was for sure.

"Alright, I'll go," I said.

"Excellent. You go pack up your things and say goodbye to your friends while I talk to that nasty old hag standing outside."

I nodded and made a run for the door. The minute I reached for the handle, the door swung open and a raging monster walked through.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ms. Umhalt asked the professor.

"I'm removing one of your charges from your care," Professor McGonagall said calmly, not even remotely phased by the fuming woman standing before her.

"Like hell you are. She's my money maker. I make a small fortune off of her, you can take any of the girls, but you can't take her."

"That is not your decision," she said before turning to me. "Now Esa, please go to your room and collect your things. We're leaving as soon as I'm done here."

I scurried out of there as quickly as I could. I didn't hear much more of their conversation, but I knew Ms. Umhalt was going to lose. The professor didn't seem like someone who would give in easily. I made it back to the room in record time. I looked around and it dawned on me why I got more things than the other girls. She said I made her a lot of money. I was disgusted. Everything around me suddenly became filthy. I didn't want any of it. None of it was mine. I kicked the dresser, tore my clothes out of the drawers, sat on the floor and cried. I didn't know who I was anymore. As I sat there, surrounded by all of the things I had once owned, a tiny head popped around the corner.

"Are you ok?" The small, familiar voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks May," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. I didn't want to cry in front of her. I was supposed to be the strong one.

She sat down beside me, and looked into my face "You don't like fine," was all she said.

She was only 9 years old, but she could read me like a book.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yeah May, I am."

"I'm gonna miss you. Promise me you'll write?"

"I'm gonna miss you too. I'll write as often as I can, I promise." I wasn't sure if that was a promise I could keep, Ms. Umhalt didn't believe in letters. If I wrote anything, it would almost certainly be confiscated before May knew I had written, but I would definitely try.

"Come on," she said. "I'll help you pack." She reached out and grabbed a shirt that I had been sitting on. I smiled and grabbed more clothes to throw into a rough sack that had been hanging off the end of my bed.

I didn't have much to pack, so it wasn't long before I was sitting with the others, my bag between my knees. I was tired of saying goodbye. Everyone seemed to want a hug, and I could see tears in the corners of too many eyes. I had never been particularly popular, but I was the one who kept Ms. Umhalt off of them. With me gone, I had no idea what was going to happen to them. I felt immeasurably guilty.

I turned to May, "look after them for me, ok?"

"Ok," she said. I knew she was going to be alright. She was strong, she could stand up for herself.

Eventually, after a long few moments of waiting, the professor came down the stairs, papers in hand. It was time to leave. She motioned for me to join her. I walked over, and turned back towards the girls one last time. "Good bye," I mouthed, hoping at least one girl would notice. I don't think anyone did, but that didn't really matter anymore. I was getting out of here, and that was all I could really ask for. That was what I had been hoping for, for as long as I could remember. This was my escape.

"Where are we going?" I asked, putting my bag on my shoulders.

"We're going to London," she said.

"England?"

"Yes, England."

I had never been out of the city. I couldn't imagine going to another country.

"Where am I going to stay?" I asked. "How am I going to pay for anything?"

"You're not a pauper, you know. You do have money," the professor chuckled.

"I do?"

"Yes, your parents hid their considerable wealth in the vaults at Gringotts."

"Gringotts?" I asked.

"It's a wizarding bank located beneath the streets of London," the woman said, as if that was explanation enough.

"So you're saying there's a bank underneath London? How do people not notice that?"

"It's complicated. You'll understand soon enough."

I shook my head. This had to be a joke.

"Oh, I almost forgot, here's your letter." She handed me an envelope that was made of thick paper. I opened it and read the first line.

"Is this for real?" I asked.

"Yes," was all she said.

"Then explain to me, where are we going to find magic books, cauldrons, and wands?"

"You'll see," she said. "Grab my arm."

Confused, I did as she asked. Moments later, we were spinning, wildly out of control. I felt my body being contorted in all sorts of directions that it shouldn't be able to go. I felt like I was going to be sick. It kept going like this for far longer than I would have liked. I had just about had all I could handle when I felt my feet land on solid ground.

Professor McGonagall stood next to me, looking around proudly. "Welcome to London."


	3. Gringotts

**Thank you all for reading my story, you're the best!**

**A special shout out to Randommeandu for the kind review! Your comments made me smile. 3 **

**I also want to thank you for being patient, my school's wifi is atrocious, and I've been having serious connection issues lately. **

I couldn't believe my eyes. I had never been out of New York before, and now I was in a foreign country. We landed in a secluded section of a large park that I didn't know the name of. There was too much to see, I didn't have enough eyes to take it all in. The park itself was beautiful. It was late summer, all of the leaves were a beautiful shade of green, and colors seemed to rain down from every available surface. McGonagall was still standing next to me. The old woman appeared almost regal, between her cloak, and the way she held herself. She wasn't looking at me.h

I coughed slightly in an attempt to get her attention.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Um, where are we going now?"

"To buy your things of course." She said that as if it was common knowledge. I know she said I had money in Gringotts, but it was hard to believe. I had lived my whole life with nothing. If I had any money, I'm sure Ms. Umhalt would have taken it by now.

"Uh, right. And where is that?" I asked.

"We're going to Diagon Alley, it's not too far off."

"Oh, of course. Diagon Alley." I had no idea what she was talking about. This all had to be some sort of elaborate prank. There was no way any of this was real.

"Come, follow me. We have a short walk ahead of us." For such an old woman, McGonagall still had quite a bit of pep in her step. I practically had to run to keep up with her, my short legs working overtime to avoid falling behind. After a few minutes of walking, we came upon an old, dilapidated building. Looking at it, there was nothing particularly special about the place. It was dark, smelly, and miserable. That being said, there was a quality about it that brought people there. There was a reason to come here, but I couldn't quite place exactly why that might be. Inside, there were people doing magic. I stared in awe. Maybe this wasn't all a joke, could it all be real? A man was sitting at the counter with a book out. It looked like the book was in his hand, but upon closer inspection, it was floating, suspended on air. In the end, McGonagall had to drag me along towards the back of the building.

"We have a lot to do," the woman said as she pulled my arm.

I nodded absent-mindedly while following her. I didn't want to argue. If this was the wizarding world, I couldn't wait to be a part of it. Much to my immediate disappointment, the back of the building was a solid brick wall. How were we supposed to get through the wall? Were we supposed to go through the wall? There was nowhere else to go, and there was no door.

My questions were answered before I got the chance to ask them. McGonagall took the long stick out of her cloak again, and began tapping bricks. I was about to ask her what she was doing when the wall started to move. I stared. My mouth was probably on the floor as the wall opened up to reveal a long street full of shops. There were people walking around everywhere. Clearly, now was the time to shop. I looked at some of the signs, and was surprised to see names like "Flourish & Blotts", "Quality Quidditch Supplies", and a few other oddities. There were shops for owls, robes, cauldrons, and other magical equipment that she didn't recognize. One question stuck out to her though.

"What's quidditch?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm sure some of your classmates will be able to explain that to you much better than I can," Professor McGonagall said with a smile.

Despite my overwhelming curiosity, I figured I wasn't getting any more information out of her than that.

"Our first stop is Gringotts," the woman said as she sped away down the road. I raced after her. I didn't have to read the sign to know which building was the bank. I hadn't been expecting it to be so grand. There was a plaque on the wall, but I didn't get the opportunity to read it before I was whisked through the doors. Inside, the building was just as grand as the outside had been. The walls were made of smooth, white marble, and the floors were a mosaic of tile. There were strange creatures sitting behind the counters. Creatures that I recognized from books I used to read as a child. I had been really into the fantasy genre, and it was shocking to see creatures straight from the books I had read sitting in front of me.

"Are those goblins?" I asked.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said. "I'm a little surprised they're back in charge of this place after what happened last time, but I suppose it's how it's been for a long time." The woman shrugged, as if that statement didn't mean anything.

"What happened last time?" I asked.

"Oh, that's a story for another time. It's a long one," she said.

I was starting to get tired of those kinds of cryptic answers, but I let it slide as we walked up to the formidable granite countertop.

"What do we have here?" The goblin asked in a gravelly voice.

"Miss. Evandale wishes to access her vault."

"I do?" I asked so quietly no one seemed to hear my.

"Ah, of course. Right this way." He motioned for the two of us to walk with him. A large door opened for us, and the view through that door was drastically different from that of the lobby. It was cavernous, It was very cave-like. The walls were brown and rocky. It was clear that we were now underground. There was a cart sitting on a track in front of us. It was rickety, but it didn't look as if it was too old. The three of us stepped into the cart and it began to move.

Before I knew it, we were traveling along at a good clip. It was a relatively short trip. The cart stopped in front of a set of large metal doors. I was feeling a little small surrounded by it all. Despite the short length of the trip, we had to be a good couple hundred feet underground.

The goblin jumped out of the cart and sauntered over to the closest door. McGonagall had just gotten out, and was helping me clamor over the side, when the goblin stroked the door with his nail. Baffled, I stared at him.

"What's he doing?" I asked Professor McGonagall.

"He's unlocking the door," she said.

"How? There's no key."

"You don't need a key for this kind of vault." That was all she said. I had to admit, Professor McGonagall really wasn't very good at explaining things about the wizarding world, she left a lot of questions unanswered.

The door swung open, and a cloud of green smoke came rushing out.

"If anyone other than a goblin tried to open this door, they would be sucked through the door with no way out," the goblin said proudly. At least I finally got an answer, although it was a terrifying one.

"Do you check to see if anyone is inside?" I asked.

"Every few decades, or so," the goblin said.

I gulped. I made sure not to touch the door, even though it was already open.

When I looked through, around the room, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There were mountains of gold, silver, and bronze coins. I had no idea what their worth was, but it was pretty obvious that it was a lot of money.

"The gold coins are galleons, the silver coins are sickles, and the bronze coins are nuts," McGonagall explained. "There are 17 sickles to a galleon, and 29 knuts to a sickle."

She was talking so quickly I barely picked up on what she was saying. She handed me a small bag of coins. It was heavier than I had been expecting. I had never held so much money in my life.

"Is this all mine?" I asked.

"Yes," McGonagall said with a smile. "You really thought your parents left you nothing?" She asked.

"I hadn't been anticipating this, I always figured if they had I would have heard something about it at some point," I admitted.

"Come on," Professor McGonagall said, clearly trying to skirt the topic. "Let's go get your school things." She ushered me back to the cart. After the three of us climbed back in, we were off. We got back to the lobby in one piece. I took a deep breath.


End file.
